“SIMONE BILES SPEAKS OUT! 🏅💪 After slamming Riley Gaines for her views on transgender athletes, Simone Biles shares her thoughts on inclusivity and fairness in sports. Watch to learn more.

Simone Biles Speaks Out: Calls for Empathy and Fairness in Heated Debate Over Transgender Athletes

Olympic legend Simone Biles is making headlines once again—this time, not for her gravity-defying performances, but for her passionate stance on one of sports’ most divisive issues: transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports.

On Tuesday, June 10, Biles, 28, took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify and expand on her fiery weekend exchange with Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer and outspoken conservative activist. Biles had previously branded Gaines a “sore loser” and “truly sick” after Gaines criticized a transgender athlete’s role in a Minnesota high school softball championship victory.

A Call for Respect—And an Apology

In her new post, Biles struck a more reflective tone. “I’ve always believed competitive equity & inclusivity are both essential in sport,” she wrote. “The current system doesn’t adequately balance these important principles, which often leads to frustration and heated exchanges, and it didn’t help for me to get personal with Riley, which I apologize for.”

Biles acknowledged the complexity and sensitivity of the issue, admitting, “I don’t have the answers or solutions.” But she insisted that meaningful progress “starts with empathy and respect.”

Standing Up for Young Athletes

Biles made clear that her objection was not to policies protecting fairness in women’s sports, but to the public shaming of individual athletes—especially children. “Individual athletes—especially kids—should never be the focus of criticism of a flawed system they have no control over,” she emphasized.

She urged sports organizations to take responsibility for creating rules that support both inclusion and fair competition. “We all want a future for sport that is fair, inclusive, and respectful,” Biles concluded, signing off warmly, “Xoxo Simone.”

The Spark That Ignited the Debate

The controversy began when Gaines commented on a Minnesota State High School League post celebrating a softball championship win, writing, “Comments off lol. To be expected when your star player is a boy”—a jab at Marissa Rothenberger, a transgender athlete who helped secure the victory.

Biles quickly fired back, “You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!! But instead… You bully them… One thing’s for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”

She later added, “Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.”

A National Flashpoint

The Biles-Gaines exchange comes amid a nationwide debate, fueled by recent moves from the Trump administration to challenge states like California that allow transgender athletes to compete according to their gender identity. After 16-year-old transgender athlete AB Hernandez won two girls’ track events in California, federal officials threatened fines and legal action, and the state’s athletic federation revised its rules to increase opportunities for “biological female student-athletes.”

A Plea for Unity in Sport

While the debate rages on, Biles’s message is clear: the path forward lies not in personal attacks, but in empathy, respect, and a collective effort to create a sporting world that is both fair and inclusive.